Human ancestors nearly went extinct a million years ago Humans almost faced extinction between 813,000 and 930,00 years ago when human ancestors’ population fell to about 1,280. Researchers studied the genomes of over 3,150 present-day people and found that human ancestors experienced a bottleneck for about 117,000 years, which may have driven the evolutionary divergence […]
Reduced cancer risk tied to short bouts of physical activity A study found that a minimum of 3.4 minutes and 3.7 minutes of vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity per day were associated with a 17% lower total cancer incidence risk and 28% lower physical activity-related cancer incidence risk, respectively. Full Story: MedPage Today Polyethylene plastic […]
Astronomers discover first evidence of “Trojan planet” Scientists have spotted the first evidence of a “Trojan planet” that shares the same orbit around a star as another planet. Astronomers believe that Trojan planets form when dust clouds are held into stable material from the gravitational pull of a star and other planet and may be […]
Annulated sea snakes do have genes to see colour Annulated sea snakes, a venomous species found in the oceans of Australia and Asia, can see colour, debunking assumptions of colorblindness after surviving the last 110 million years in the ocean. Researchers used genome sequencing to find four intact copies of the opsin gene SWS1 — […]
Earth’s inner core is textured, not smooth The Earth’s solid inner core is textured with ripples in the “fabric” that are more pronounced deeper into the core. Researchers examined seismic data from 2,455 earthquakes and found that the pattern of texture may mean Earth’s core endured a period of rapid growth before slowly hardening. Full […]
Study upends idea that men hunted while women gathered The popular belief that early hunter-gatherer societies were organized around sex roles with men hunting and women gathering is incorrect, according to an analysis of data from academic papers focusing on 63 hunter-gatherer societies from across the world. The new research shows that 79% of communities […]
Stronger earthquakes after cosmic radiation Cosmic radiation touching the Earth’s surface may lead to stronger earthquakes. Using data from the Cosmic Ray Extremely Distributed Observatory, scientists found a link between cosmic radiation and seismic activity that may be due to disruptions in the flow of matter in Earth’s core and magnetosphere. Full Story: Space Air […]
New theory of how Earth formed Scientists have found evidence that the Earth was created from a rapid landslide in less than 5 million years rather than a gradual series of celestial collisions, revising the longstanding theory of how Earth-like planets form in the galaxy. “With this new planet formation mechanism, the chance of having […]
Brain changes in astronauts Astronauts on space missions lasting six months or more have enlarged cerebral ventricles in the brain, according to a study of 30 astronauts. Researchers found that most ventricle expansion occurs during the first six months in space, but slows down after a year, and the astronauts’ brains fully recovered after three […]
Climate paradox of slashing emissions While cutting greenhouse gas emissions is necessary for reducing global warming in the long term, it may also lead to rapidly rising temperatures in the short term. R esearchers studying the emissions reduction during the pandemic show that while air pollution decreased, a lower concentration of aerosols led to a […]